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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lean — thin
  3. stock — shares
  4. spell — magic
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. branch — a division
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rule — a law
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com